John Ramsbottom

Born	11 September 1814
Died	20 May 1897
Nationality	English
Employer	Sharp, Roberts & Co., Manchester (apprentice); Manchester and Birmingham Railway (Locomotive Superintendent, Longsight 1842); Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway (Locomotive Superintendent, Northern Division); London and North Western Railway (Locomotive Superintendent, Northern Division 1857; Chief 1862–1871)

John Ramsbottom (1814–1897) was a British locomotive engineer who served as Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London and North Western Railway from 1862 until 1871, and who is remembered as much for a series of transformative engineering inventions — particularly the water trough, the Ramsbottom safety valve, and the split piston ring — as for any individual locomotive design, though his DX Goods 0-6-0 of 1858 was built in larger numbers than any other pre-Grouping British locomotive class.

Born at Todmorden, Yorkshire on 11 September 1814, Ramsbottom was apprenticed at Sharp, Roberts and Co. of Manchester and became Locomotive Superintendent of the Manchester and Birmingham Railway at Longsight in 1842, transferring at the LNWR's formation in 1846 to the Northern Division at Crewe. He succeeded Francis Trevithick as overall Locomotive Superintendent of the LNWR's Northern Division in 1857 and then of the whole railway in 1862.

The water trough, first installed at Mochdre on the Chester and Holyhead line in 1860, was Ramsbottom's most far-reaching invention: by allowing locomotives fitted with a scoop to pick up water at speed from a trough between the rails, it made possible non-stop runs over distances previously requiring intermediate water stops, transforming the economics and scheduling of long-distance express services. The Ramsbottom safety valve, which replaced the earlier lever-and-balance types with a more reliable spring-loaded design, and the split piston ring that reduced steam leakage past the piston were equally practical and widely adopted. His 943 DX Goods 0-6-0s formed the backbone of LNWR freight working for decades.

Ramsbottom retired in 1871 in poor health and was succeeded by Francis Webb. He continued in engineering consultation for the LNWR and died at Alderley Edge, Cheshire on 20 May 1897.

Biography

John Ramsbottom (1814–1897) was a British locomotive engineer who served as Locomotive Superintendent of the London and North Western Railway from 1862 until 1871. He is now perhaps better remembered for a string of pivotal inventions, the displacement lubricator, the Ramsbottom safety valve, the split piston ring and (most famously) the water trough, than for any individual locomotive class, though his DX Goods 0-6-0 of 1858 was built in greater numbers (943) than any pre-Grouping British class.

Ramsbottom was born at Todmorden, Yorkshire on 11 September 1814 and apprenticed to Sharp, Roberts & Co. of Manchester. He was Locomotive Superintendent of the Manchester & Birmingham Railway at Longsight from 1842, transferring at the LNWR's formation in 1846 to take charge of the Northern Division at Crewe. In 1857 he succeeded John Trevithick (son of Richard) as overall Locomotive Superintendent of the LNWR's Northern Division and from 1862, on the death of Francis Trevithick, of the whole LNWR.

The water trough, first installed at Mochdre on the Chester & Holyhead in 1860, allowed locomotives fitted with a scoop to take on water at speed and so transformed the operation of long-distance non-stop services. The displacement lubricator and the four-feed Ramsbottom safety valve were widely adopted across the British network. His DX Goods, much rebuilt, lasted in LMS service until 1930.

Ramsbottom retired in 1871 in poor health and was succeeded by Francis Webb. He continued as a consulting engineer to the LNWR for many years and as a member of the Board. He died at Alderley Edge, Cheshire on 20 May 1897.

Locomotives designed

18 inch — Alternative reference to the LNWR Cauliflower 18-inch goods 0-6-0 — see that entry.
LNWR Bloomfield — Ramsbottom's 1858 LNWR 0-6-0 goods engine — see LNWR DX Goods class; Bloomfield was one of the early prototypes from which the production DX class evolved.
LNWR Cauliflower — Francis Webb's 1880 LNWR 18-inch "Cauliflower" 0-6-0 goods class, the LNWR's standard goods engine for the 1880s and 1890s. Named for the prominent LNWR coat-of-arms displayed on the splasher — the heraldic emblem looking, to railwaymen, like a cauliflower. 310 were built between 1880 and 1902 at Crewe and worked LNWR goods traffic through to the 1950s. Withdrawal complete by 1955; none preserved — a serious gap.
LNWR Lady of the Lake — John Ramsbottom's 1859 LNWR Problem class 2-2-2 express engines (also known as Lady of the Lake class after one of the named members), 60 built at Crewe between 1859 and 1865 — Ramsbottom's flagship singles for the Euston main line and the engines that hauled the famous "Special Mail" trains carrying the Royal Mail north to Carlisle. The class total reflects the long evolution of Ramsbottom's single-driver practice; the 1846 date in the encyclopedia metadata reflects an earlier engine of similar name. See LNWR Problem class.
LNWR Precedent full Class — Francis Webb's 1874 LNWR 2-4-0 express class — the celebrated "Precedents" or "Jumbos". 96 were built at Crewe between 1874 and 1882, the LNWR's standard 2-4-0 express engine for two decades. No. 790 "Hardwicke" famously hauled the southbound leg of the 1895 Race to the North from Crewe to Carlisle at an average of 67 mph, including the climb to Shap. Hardwicke is preserved at the National Railway Museum, York.
LNWR Problem Class — John Ramsbottom's 1859 LNWR 2-2-2 express class — also known as the "Lady of the Lake" class — 60 built at Crewe between 1859 and 1865. The LNWR's standard express engine of the 1860s and 1870s, working the Special Mail trains carrying the Royal Mail north to Carlisle. The prototype Problem set new standards for fuel economy and gave its name to the class.